Is Israel Threatened By Iran’s Uranium Enrichment?

Is Israel unhappy with US proposed agreement with Iran?

As the United States made a short-term nuclear agreement with Iran, speculations started to make headlines that the new nuclear agreement might threaten Israel.

The US proposed a short-term nuclear agreement with Iran at a meeting in Geneva allowing Tehran to continue enriching uranium at low levels.

The goal of the US proposal is to freeze Iran’s nuclear program for six months until a comprehensive agreement might be reached.

IR40 facility in Arak.

Israel ‘Unhappy’ About The Agreement

But in an interview with Candy Crowley of CNN’s State of the Union in Geneva, US Secretary of State John Kerry addressed the issues by saying that Israel is threatened by what has been going on in Iran. However, Secretary Kerry pointed out that for the next six months, Israel is, in fact, safer than it was yesterday.

“We now have a mechanism by which we are going to expand the amount of time in which they can break out, rather than narrow it.” – Secretary Kerry

He explained that the US and Israel are going to have insights into the Iranian program that they didn’t have before.

In addition, there will be a destruction of the 20 percent enrichment and a limitation on the low enrichment at 3.5 percent.

“We’re going to have a limitation on the building and installation of centrifuges.” – Secretary Kerry

Will Israel Be Safer With The Agreement?

According to Secretary Kerry, he believes that Israel, in fact, will be safer, providing they make sure that the sanctions don’t get lifted in a way that reduces the pressure on Iran, and he says the Department of State doesn’t believe they will be.

“There’s very little sanctions relief here.” – Secretary Kerry

He underlined that the US government strongly believe that because the Iranian nuclear program is actually set back and is actually locked into place in critical places, that it is better for Israel than they will be continuing to go down the road and they rush towards a nuclear weapon.

Is US normalizing relations down the road with Iran?

Secretary Kerry emphasized that the US and Iran can resolve issues together unless Iran solves its own nuclear problem.

“Well, nothing is possible until we solve the nuclear problem.” – Secretary Kerry

The US made it very clear that the international community requires a resolution of the United Nations resolutions that have been passed, the questions that the International Atomic Energy Agency has.

Iran under international scrutiny

Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom have qualified for an exception to sanctions outlined in Section 1245 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, as amended (NDAA), based on reductions in the volume of their crude oil purchases from Iran.

As of July 1, the European Union implemented a full ban on Iranian crude oil and petroleum products, strengthening the comprehensive measures it has taken to hold Iran accountable for its failure to comply with its international nuclear obligations.

Japan has also taken significant steps to reduce its crude oil purchases, which is especially notable considering the extraordinary energy challenges it has faced in the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster.

In addition, the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog has said Iran is not providing the necessary cooperation to enable the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to conclude that all nuclear material in Iran is in peaceful activities, and not driven by military ambitions.

IAEA General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Yukiya Amano also renewed his call on Iran to grant inspectors access to the Parchin nuclear facility site.

At a meeting of the IAEA’s Board of Governors in Vienna, Mr. Amano highlighted that despite intensified dialogue between the IAEA and Iran since the beginning of the year, no concrete results have been achieved so far.

Iran’s nuclear programme has been making headline which its officials have stated is for peaceful purposes, but some other countries contend is driven by military ambitions.

Reports say Iran’s nuclear programme has become a matter of international concern since the discovery in 2003 that the country had concealed its nuclear activities for 18 years in breach of its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Iran has repeatedly stated that its nuclear programme is for the peaceful purpose of providing energy, but many countries believe it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

In March 2012, the head of the Security Council committee monitoring the arms embargo imposed on Iran over its nuclear programme reported new cases of reported violations by Iran.

Ambassador Nestor Osorio of Colombia noted in his quarterly report that four Member States submitted a report regarding a violation of the resolution prohibiting Iran from carrying out activities related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

A Member State had also provided information on the results of inspections carried out on material confiscated in February last year from a truck on Iran’s border with Syria.

Another Member State had brought to the committee’s attention a public statement by the Secretary-General of Hizbollah, dated 7 February, in which he acknowledged that his group had received “materialistic support in all possible and available forms from Iran,” he further said.

Iran’s nuclear programme has been under the scrutiny of the international community. The country’s offcials have stated it is for peaceful purposes, but some other countries contend is driven by military ambitions.

In December 2002, satellite photographs shown on U.S. television confirm the existence of sites at Natanz and Arak. The United States accuses Tehran of “across-the-board pursuit of weapons of mass destruction.” Iran agrees to inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

In February 2003, Iranian President Mohammad Khatami revealed that Iran has unearthed uranium deposits and announced plans to develop a nuclear fuel cycle.

Iran concealed its nuclear activities for 18 years in breach of its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

On 23rd December 2006, the 15-member UN Security Council unanimously adopted a binding resolution that called on Iran to suspend its uranium-enrichment activities and to comply with its IAEA obligations. Resolution 1737 directed all states to prevent the supply or sale to Iran of any materials that could assist its nuclear or ballistic missile programmes. It also imposd an asset freeze on key companies and individuals named by the UN as contributors to Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes.

Resolution 1737 was strengthened by resolution 1747 the following year which imposed a ban on arms sales to or from Iran, and expanded an existing freeze on assets.

Resolution 1747 of the following year tightened the sanctions by imposing a ban on arms sales and expanding the freeze on assets.

The IAEA is increasingly concerned about the possible existence in Iran of past or current undisclosed nuclear-related activities involving military-related organizations, including activities related to the development of a nuclear payload for a missile, about which the Agencycontinues to receive new information.

Iran has produced over 4,500 kilograms of low-enriched uranium, which, according to the Institute for Science and International Security, is almost enough for four nuclear weapons after further enrichment to weapons grade.

Mina Fabulous follows the news, especially what is going on in the US State Department. Mina turns State Department waffle into plain English. Mina Fabulous is the pen name of Carmen Avalino, the NewsBlaze production editor. When she isn’t preparing stories for NewsBlaze writers, she writes stories, but to separate her editing and writing identities, she uses the name given by her family and friends.